Henry lussisb



H. LUSSIER. HOPPER A'CTUATING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS APPLICATION FILED JAN-2.1919.

Patented N QV. 18, 1919.

' fle w g/ L ussz'e/t MMM NITED STATES PATENT orrion.

HENRY IJUSSIEB, O13 SALEM, MASSAGI-IUSEITfi, A$SIG'rNO.R T0 DHAPER, GQZEIEQBATION,

0J5 HOPEDALE, ASSACHU E S, A CORPOR TI N 015' O B-AQTUATING MECHANI$M FOR LOOMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LUSSIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Hopper-Actuating Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic filling replenishing looms in which a supply of filling carriers such as bobbins is maintained in a rotary hopper from which these filling carriers are successively discharged to the lay through the operation of automatic mechanism. In the type of loom to which this invention relates the rotatable hopper has rotatable therewith a ratchet wheel and this ratchet wheel is actuated by a feed pawl. The feed pawl is usually controlled in its movement by the transferrer which discharges the filling carriers from the hopper to the lay. This type of mechanism is familiar to the art in the well known Northrop loom.

Two types of mechanism for securing the operation of the feed awl are disclosed in the patents toE. S. timpson and W. S. Southwick No. 823,64A granted June 19, 1906 and E. S. Stimpson No. 1,202,116 granted October 24, 1916. In the. former patent the feed pawl actuating movement is given by a spring while the retracting movement is obtained from the transferrer. In the latter patent the actuating movement of the pawl is obtained from the transferrer and the feed pawl in its retracting movement moves bodily with the trans-- ferrer.

It is very important in this type of mech anism that the .hopper shall be rotated with precision so as to bring the fresh filling carrier into exactly the proper position for transfer. It is necessary therefore that the feed pawl shall engage only with the proper tooth and shall advance that tooth to the predetermined required position. The feed pawl in its actuating movement effects one unit of rotation of the hopper, that is to say, it rotates the hopper sufliciently to bring a fresh filling. carrier into position, and usually this is accomplished by providing" one tooth on; the" ratchet wheel for each Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 2, 1919.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

Serial No. 269,231.

teeth of the ratchet wheel or the feed pawl being worn unevenly or broken.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a mechanism in which the feed pawl will surely and positively engage the proper tooth and will be surely, and posi tively advanced the requisite amount to give one unit of rotation to the hopper and will be prevented in its retracting movement from passing behind any but the next tooth of the ratchet wheel.

It is the object of the invention further to provide for the feed pawl receiving its actuating movement positively from the transferrer and to permit its retracting movement to take place independently of the 'transferrer so that the transferrer may have its discharging movement without causing any substantial movement of the feed pawl.

It is the object of the invention further to provide for a construction in which the feed pawl tends normally to swing into engagement with the ratchet wheel and tends normally to retract from the ratchet wheel.

These and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims,

The drawings show so much of an ordinary type of Northrop automatic filling replenishing loom as is necessary to a disclosure of the present invention together with a preferred form of the present invention embodied therein.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is an end elevation partially in transverse section of a sufficient portion of the loom necessary to the disclosure of the present invention with its preferred form embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation partially in vertical cross section showing the feed pawl, transferrer and base of the hopper stand;

Fig. 3 is a View of a portion of the construction shown in Fig. 1 with the parts shownin full lines with the transferrer.

nearing the end of its retracting movement and in dotted lines with the transferrer near -the endot its dischargingmovement.

"of which only one" is' shown provided with I the seats 5 for the buttsof the filling carriers, which are usually bobbins, and rotatably mounted on the fixed stud 6 project ing from the loom frame.

This rotatable --"-l1opper is provided" with'the ratchet'wheel 7 whichin this case is secured to the hopper to" rotate therewith and which is shown as provided with teeth'corresponding in numher with the filling carrier seats 5 so that as the ratchet wheel is" movcdone tooth a filling carrier'is broughtintoposition for transfer. When a filling "carrier 8,"indicated in 'dotted lines,is in-positi'on for transfer it is, in the construction shown, brought against i the abutment 9.

"Transfer or' discharge' 0t the filling carrier from the hopper is effected by suitable mechanism usuallyautomatically called into action when-the runningfilling breaks or the running filling carrier has become entirely or substantially exhausted. In the construction illustrateda transferrer 10 of the general shape shown is pivotally mounted at 11 on a stud projecting from the stand 12 supporting the rotatable hopper. Upon the call for filling replenishment this transfer- =rerwh1ch extends in between the disks of the shopper "has itsydischargmg movement and as shown moves downwardly engaging the fillin carrier and dischar esor transfers it b b from the hopper to the lay beneath.

The rotation and position of the rotatable hopper is secured and defined by a feed pawl and a detent pawl. The detent pawl illus- =trated is of generally well known construction and. acts to prevent retrograde movement ofthe hopper. It is pivoted at 14 to the hopper stand and movable by gravity 'due to the weighted foot 15'to' bring its tooth 16 into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. A lateral lug 17 carried by an extension 18 engages the inner. periphery of the flange 19 to prevent accidental disengagement-ofthe detent. pawl and ratchet wheel. 7 I I The feed pawl 20 in the construction illustrated has a pin and; slot connection with the transferrer 10. This connection. preferably consists of a journal pin 21 projecting laterally from the transferrer and mounted in a hub 22 formed on said transferrer and aslightly arcuate slot 23 formed in the feed pawl through which the pin 21 projects.

, ;A collar-orwasher24t maybe provided be tween 'the transferrer and the feed pawl.

Thefarrangement' issuch that the feed wheel. 'st-ruction illustrated by providing a foot 27 tively from the transferrer.

positive movement to the feed pawl.

fpawl normally tends to swingabout the pivot pin 21 to bring and maintain its tooth 25 in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and also normally tends to have a retracting movement by sliding on said pin away from the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The tendency of the feed pawl to move in these directions is preferably secured by so weighting the pawl as shown at 26 to cause it to move in these directions by gravity.

Means are provided -forl1m1t1ng the retractingmovement of the feed pawl to' that required to effect oneunit of rotation of the hopper or in the usual form to an extent sufficient to prevent tl1e'-feed pawl passing behind any but the next tooth 'ofthe ratchet This is accomplished in the com on the lower end of the feed pawl-at such a distance from the tooth 25 that this'foot will come into contact with the surface 28 on the base of the hopper stand when the tooth of the feed pawl is directly b hind the next tooth of the ratchet wheel to be engaged.

Thus it is impossible for the feed pawl to pass behind-any but the proper tooth or to 'move into any but thefproper positi'onucquired when it is to begin its actuating move- 'ment.

It will also be observed that the actuating movement of the 'feed pawl isiven posi- VV ion the actuating movement is to begin'the feed pawl 20 is in the position shown in Fig. 3-with its foot 28 rested upon the baseof the hopper stand and with its tooth-25 directly behind the tooth 29 oi. the ratchet wheel with which it is to engage. As the transfcrrer rctracts after having discharged a filling car rierthe pin 21 contacts with the upper end of the slot 23 and the feed pawl is thus positively elevated by the transferrer and actuated to give the required amount of rotation to the ratchet wheel. At the end of this actuating movement the tooth 16 of the detent pawl 13 drops into place. It is only during the latter portion of the retracting movement of the transferrer that it gives a All the remaining movements of the transferrcr take place without any substantial movement being imparted to the feed pawl.

The retractingmovement of the feed pawl takes place independently of the transferrer during the discharging movement of the transferrer, that is, as it swings downwardly about its pivot 11, the feed pawl drops by gravity, being simply guided by the pinand slot connection, until its foot 27 engages the base of the hopper stand. Gravity also .ajcts to maintain the tooth 25 in engagement with the ratchet wheel during this. retractin movement. After the foot '27 of the fee pawl is seated upon the base'of the hopper stand the discharging movement of the transferrer continues without any substantial efiect upon the feed pawl excepting a very slight lateral shifting movement indicated by the dotted and full line positions of the feed pawl in Fig. 3.

v The usual hand hold 30 is provided on the feed pawl by which it may be swung away from engagement with the ratchet wheel carrying with it the detent pawl 13 to free the hopper to manual rotation when desired.

It is seenthat the invention provides a construction of exceeding simplicity, one which is not likely to get out of order, and one in which the accurate movement of the rotatable hopper is positively secured under all conditions.

Havin fully described my invention, what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A loom comprisinga rotatable filling hopper to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a movable transferrer for discharging the filling carriers successively from the hopper, a feed pawl and means connecting the transferrer and feed pawl to cause the actuating movement of the feed pawl to be efiected by the retracting movement of the transferrer and the discharging movement of the transferrer to occur without retracting the feed pawl.

2. A loom comprising the construction defined in claim 1 together with means acting normally to maintain the feed pawl in engagement with the ratchet.

3. A loom comprising the construction defined in claim 1 together with means for limiting the retracting movement of the feed pawl to that required to effect one unit of rotation of the hopper.

4. A loom comprising the construction de fined in claim 1 together with means for limiting the retracting movement of the feed pawl sufficiently to prevent its passing behind any but the next tooth of the ratchet wheel.

5. A loom comprising a rotatable filling hopper to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith a movable transferrer for discharging the filling carriers successively from the hopper, a feed pawl for actuating the ratchet wheel, and means acting to cause the transferrer during the latter portion of its retracting movement to effect positively the actuating movement of the pawl and acting to permit the discharging movement of the transferrer to take place without retracting the feed pawl.

6. A loom comprising the construction defined in claim 5 together with means for limiting the retracting movement of the feed pawl to that required to effect one unit of rotation of the hopper.

7. A loom comprising the construction defined in claim 5 together with means for limiting the retracting movement of the feed pawl sulficiently to prevent its passing behind any but the next tooth of the ratchet wheel.

8. A loom comprising a rotatable filling hopper to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a pivotally mounted transferrer for discharging the filling carriers successively from the hopper, a feed pawl for actuating said ratchet wheel, and means including a pin and slot connection between said feed pawl and said transferrer acting to cause the transferrer during the latter portion of its retracting movement to effect positively the actuating movement of the pawl and acting to permit the remainder of the movements of the transferrer to take place without substantial movement of the feed pawl.

9. A loom comprising the construction defined in claim 8 together with means acting to cause the feed pawl normally to swing on said pin toward said ratchet wheel and to retract in said slot.

10. A loom having the construction defined in claim 8 together with means for limiting the retracting movement of the feed pawl sufiiciently to prevent its passing behind any but the next tooth of the ratchet wheel.

11. A loom comprising a rotatable filling hopper to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a pivotally mounted transferrer for dischar ing the filling carriers successively from theliopper, a journal pin mounted in said transferrer, a feed pawl for actuating the ratchet wheel provided with a slot fitting over said journal pin and weighted to swing about said pin into engagement with said ratchet wheel and to slide on said pin away from said ratchet wheel, and means for limiting the sliding or retracting movement of the feed pawl to prevent its passing behind any but the next tooth of the ratchet wheel, whereby the transferrer during the latter portion of its retracting movement will efi'ect positively the actuating movement of the pawl and whereby the remainder of the movements of the transferrer may take place without substantial movement of the feed pawl.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY LUSSIER. 

